1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and printing method for printing various information such as images and characters to a recording medium, such as a card, and more particularly to a printing apparatus and printing method which is capable of switching printing systems according to presence/absence of an intermediate transfer medium which temporarily saves the various information to print the various information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, printing apparatuses of a thermal transfer system which effects thermal transfer on a recording medium by a thermal head via a thermal transfer film to record desired images and characters thereon are used for producing card-shaped recording media such as credit cards, cash cards, license cards, ID cards and the like. As one example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-131930 (JP-A) disclosed a printing apparatus of a direct transfer system which directly transfers images, characters and the like on a recording medium via a thermal transfer film. This system has such an advantage that high quality images can be obtained because use of thermal sublimate ink is superior in gradation expression due to ink characteristics. However, since it is essential to provide a receptive layer for receiving the ink on a surface of a recording medium to which images or the like should be transferred, it is necessary to limit the type of a recording medium to be used or to form the receptive layer on a surface of the recording medium.
Generally, cards made of polyvinyl chloride (also known as PVC cards) are widely used as the recording medium because they can receive thermal sublimate ink. However, due to the fact that harmful substances are generated when these cards are burnt, consideration has been given to switching to cards made of polyethylene terephthalate (also known as PET cards).
Furthermore, in recent years, in card-like recording media where an IC chip and an antenna have been embedded, such as IC cards, which are being used in various fields, since undulations are formed on surfaces of the media due to the elements embedded therein, such a drawback is indicated that it becomes difficult to perform image transfers on the undulated surfaces of the media.
As a printing apparatus of a thermal transfer type for solving the above drawback, JP-A 08-332742 discloses a technique of a printing apparatus of a so-called indirect transfer system where, after an image has been once transferred on an intermediate transfer medium, this image is transferred to a medium to be transferred or a recording medium. According to this system, it is possible to overcome such problems as the limitation of the type of recording media to be used regarding the receptive layer, the drawback at the time of image transfer to the undulated face of the recording medium, or the like. Furthermore, in this system, there is an advantage such that the entire surface of a card-shaped recording medium can be performed more easily than the direct transfer system.
However, in the intermediate transfer system, there is a drawback in that running costs therefor become higher than those that in the direct transfer system and processing time required for printing becomes longer, because it is necessary to use the intermediate transfer medium in the intermediate transfer system. Depending on the design of a card, there are many cases that a surface of a card must be printed over the entire surface but only a precaution for card use or the like is printed on a back surface thereof, thus there are fewer cases requiring printing over both the entire surfaces by the intermediate transfer system. Therefore, there are advantages and disadvantages in the two printing systems. Accordingly, when a printing apparatus which can perform switching between the direct transfer system and the indirect transfer system according to a printing object to print an image or the like on a recording medium can be obtained, running costs according to printing can be reduced. Therefore, it is considered that such printing apparatuses will be widely used in the future.
However, when printing process is performed in a printing apparatus compatible with both the systems, because its print processing aspect becomes complex, it is anticipated that drawbacks such as processing errors will increase according to an increase in malfunctions in print processing.
In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and printing method which can perform switching between a direct transfer system and an indirect transfer system and which has reduced malfunction in print process.
In order to solve the above problem, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus, comprising: at least one printing unit which selectively forms an image on a recording medium and an intermediate transfer medium which temporarily saves an image thereon; a transfer unit which transfers the image formed on the intermediate transfer medium to the recording medium; an intermediate transfer medium detecting unit which detects the intermediate transfer medium; a mode setting unit which sets one of a first mode for forming an image on the recording medium by the printing unit and a second mode for forming an image on the intermediate transfer medium; and a mode control unit which causes the printing unit to perform image forming in one of the first and second modes set by the mode setting unit, wherein the mode control unit inhibits execution of image forming in the first mode when the intermediate transfer medium detecting unit detects the intermediate transfer medium.
In this aspect, when the first mode for forming an image on the recording medium is set by the mode setting unit, an image is formed on the recording medium by the printing unit. On the other hand, when the second mode for forming an image on the intermediate transfer medium which temporarily saves an image thereon is set, an image is formed on the intermediate transfer medium by the printing unit, and the image formed on the intermediate transfer medium by the printing unit is transferred on the recording medium by the transfer unit. Such a control of image forming effected by the printing unit is performed by the mode control unit, and the mode control units inhibits execution of image forming in the first mode, when the intermediate transfer medium detecting unit detects the intermediate transfer medium. According to this aspect, since an image is formed on the recording medium by the printing unit in response to the mode set by the mode setting unit and an image formed on the intermediate transfer medium by the printing unit is transferred on the recording medium by the transfer unit, it is possible to perform switching between the direct transfer system and the indirect transfer system to perform printing at a time of printing to a recording medium, and the mode control unit inhibits execution of image forming in the first mode, namely image forming to the recording medium performed by the printing unit, when the intermediate transfer medium detecting unit detects the intermediate transfer medium. Therefore, since the first mode is disabled when the second mode has been set, the drawback due to print processing can be reduced and the capacity or ability of print processing can be improved.
As such an inhibiting aspect, for example, there are various aspects such that (1) the printing unit has printing elements for forming an image on the recording medium or the intermediate transfer medium in response to print information transmitted from the mode control unit, and the mode control unit inhibits feeding of print information in the first mode to the print elements when the intermediate transfer medium detecting unit detects the intermediate transfer medium; (2) in case that a recording medium transporting unit which reciprocates the recording medium relative to the printing unit and a recording medium transport driving unit which drives the recording medium transporting unit are further provided, the mode control unit inhibits driving of the recording medium transport driving unit when the intermediate transfer medium detecting unit detects the intermediate transfer medium, (3) the mode control unit causes the mode setting unit to refuse acceptance of the first mode when the intermediate transfer medium detecting unit detects the intermediate transfer medium, and so on.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a printing apparatus, comprising: at least one printing unit which selectively forms an image on a recording medium and an intermediate transfer medium which temporarily saves an image thereon; a transfer unit which transfers the image formed on the intermediate transfer medium to the recording medium; an intermediate transfer medium detecting unit which detects the intermediate transfer medium; a mode setting unit which sets one of a first mode for forming an image on the recording medium by the printing unit and a second mode for forming an image on the intermediate transfer medium; and a mode control unit which causes the printing unit to perform image forming in one of the first and second modes set by the mode setting unit, wherein the mode control unit inhibits execution of image forming in the second mode at a time of non-detection of the intermediate transfer medium by the intermediate transfer medium detecting unit.
According to this aspect, like the first aspect, since an image is formed on the recording medium by the printing unit in response to the mode set by the mode setting unit and an image formed on the intermediate transfer medium by the printing unit is transferred on the recording medium by the transfer unit, it is possible to perform switching between the direct transfer system and the indirect transfer system to perform printing, and the mode control unit inhibits execution of image forming effected in the second mode, namely, image forming to the intermediate medium effected by the printing unit, when the intermediate transfer medium detecting unit does not detect the intermediate transfer medium. Therefore, since the second mode is disabled when the first mode has been set, the drawback due to print processing can be reduced and the capacity of print processing can be improved.
As such an inhibiting aspect, there are various aspects such that, for example, (1) the printing unit has printing elements for forming an image on the recording medium or the intermediate transfer medium in response to print information transmitted from the mode control unit and when the intermediate transfer medium detecting unit does not detect the intermediate transfer medium, the mode control unit inhibits transmission of print information in the second mode to the printing elements; (2) the mode control unit causes the mode setting unit to refuse acceptance of the second mode when the intermediate transfer medium detecting unit does not detect the intermediate transfer medium, and so on.
In the first and second aspects, as the type of the intermediate transfer medium detecting unit, (1) a transmission type sensor which is disposed in a transporting path of the intermediate transfer medium or (2) an intermediate transfer medium supply spool rotation detecting sensor which, when an intermediate transfer medium supply spool on which an unused portion of the intermediate transfer medium is wound is further provided, detects rotation of the intermediate transfer medium supply spool may be listed.
Further, according to a third aspect, there is provided a printing method comprising the steps of: transporting a recording medium and an intermediate transfer medium which temporarily saves an image to an image forming position; selectively forming an image on the recording medium or on the intermediate transfer medium in the image forming position; transporting one of the same as the recording medium and a different recording medium to an image transferring position; and transferring an image formed on the intermediate transfer medium in the image transferring position to the recording medium, wherein image forming to either one of the recording medium and the intermediate transfer medium is inhibited in response to a detection signal for detecting the intermediate transfer medium. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a printing method comprising the steps of: transporting a recording medium and an intermediate transfer medium which temporarily saves an image to an image forming position; selectively forming an image on the recording medium or on the intermediate transfer medium in the image forming position; transporting one of the same as the recording medium and a different recording medium to an image transferring position; and transferring an image formed on the intermediate transfer medium in the image transferring position to the recording medium, wherein transport of the recording medium to the image forming position is inhibited in response to a detection signal for detecting the intermediate transfer medium.